Always in my Heart
by Bishimimou
Summary: Setsuna may've bitten off more than she can chew this time around... and Konoka is worried that Setsuna will only survive on her memories. one shot Konosetsu :. AU .:


_**Always in my Heart**_

The day was just ending as the sun began to set beyond the horizon; just as it ducked under the rosy clouds of twilight, the sound of a sword clashing into another object filled the air. On a deserted corner of the Mahora campus, a dark haired swordswoman was struggling against an unusually strong demon.

'_What a day for Mana to have off._' She thought, while blocking the continuing deadly blows.

"_**AER CAPTURE!**_" rang through the cool twilight air, and binds shot up around the arms of the hellish beast.

"Setsuna-san, are you all right?!" the swordswoman heard.

"Asuna-san?" she questioned as her redhead friend ran up to her.

"Negi and I can take care of it, run!" Asuna said, pushing the raven-haired woman back. Setsuna sat for a moment dumbfounded.

"This is my job, I can't run away from it." She started. "And this is a high level—"

"Shut up and just run." Asuna shouted, cutting off her friend; then the pigtailed girl ran off to help her child teacher. The demon had broken its binds, and was now swing around vehemently. Setsuna furrowed her brow and frowned. She just didn't understand the urgency of her leave.

"Setsuna, what are you doing?" Asuna questioned, turning her back to the powerful foe.

"Asuna, watch out!" Setsuna shouted, running like a flash of lightning toward the fiery redhead. Asuna's eyes widened as she turned to see the club of the demon bearing down on her. Fear routed her in her place, and she put up an arm in an attempt to block, a useless action.

She then felt the ground move from under her as she fell with less than an impact than she expected. She opened her eyes to find Setsuna lying broken and beaten on top of her.

"Setsuna!" Asuna shouted, tears pooling in her eyes. "Setsuna, wake up! I told you to run, Setsuna!!" she cried again.

The young teacher's eyes widened with horror as he saw what happened, and tears pooled on the rims of his eyes as well.

"_**JOVIS TEMPESTUS!**_" he shouted, as tears ran down his face, and his voice cracked at the end. Never had the young magi ever used such a powerful spell against a demon, but he was determined to destroy it. As the light from the magic dimmed, and the body of the demon disintegrated, he quickly made his was over to his friends.

"So, it happened." Negi whispered to Asuna, as she shed her jacket, and wrapped it around Setsuna's bloody crown. "What Konoka had seen in her dream came true… But right now we need to go to Shizuna-san to see if she can help."

Asuna nodded, and lifted Setsuna into her arms. "Come on Negi, to Shizuna-sensei's on the double!" Asuna exclaimed, and jumped on the back of Negi's staff and the quickly sped off over the trees.

"Shizuna-san, we need your help!" Negi shouted as he ran into the clinic.

"Negi-kun, what's so urgent? Are you alri—" Shizuna cut herself off after walking around the corner to view a blood drenched Asuna and Setsuna. "My God, what happened?!" Shizuna said motioning to a bed Asuna could lay Setsuna on.

She quickly walked over and began carefully unwrapping the jacket from around Setsuna's head. Asuna and Negi quickly explained the happenings of the last hour and a half, and sat silently waiting for Shizuna to contemplate the situation.

"So, Konoka-san had an unnerving dream of these events, and asked you to go look for Setsuna-kun?" Shizuna said making sure she fully understood what happened. They nodded, and she looked back over at Setsuna.

"I don't know what to say… You can clearly tell: half of her body's been smashed to bits, and there's no way to tell if her spinal column is all right with the equipment we have here. I'd day it would be a lost cause anyway, this poor girl may never wake up again." She said, prepping to stitch Setsuna's head.

Asuna and Negi looked at each other, unable to talk.

"I can't tell Konoka this." Asuna finally broke the silence, and ended with her voice cracking.

"Just bring her here, and I'll explain." Shizuna said quietly working; Asuna turned and walked off to her dorm.

When Asuna got there she stopped short to get her composure so Konoka wouldn't know anything was up. When she got her composition, she put her hand of the doorknob and walked in with a smile.

"Konoka…" she said upon opening the door.

"In here."

"Come here, I need to talk to you." Asuna dreaded trying to explain why she would need to go to the infirmary.

"Yes?" Konoka said, stepping out from the kitchenette, and removing her apron.

"Shizuna-sensei asked me to come and get you. She needs you to come and speak with her about something the old man wanted." Asuna said, trying to sound calm.

"Okay, I'll go there now, so I'll be on time to meet Secchan! Dinner is on the table, I'll see you later." Konoka called merrily and left in a hurry.

Asuna sighed, as tears rolled down her face, relieved that she didn't have to tell the bad news. She walked into the kitchen, and walked out leaving the dinner for four behind.

"Shizuna-sensei, you wanted me?" Konoka said, upon opening the door to the infirmary.

"Konoka-san, please come in, and set." Shizuna said, motioning toward a stool, and removed her glasses to wipe them off with the hem of her shirt.

"What is it ma'am? I have to go meet Secchan soon."

"That's one of the reasons I've called you. Please, follow me." Shizuna said, solemnly directing a confused Konoka into another room.

"Shizuna-san?" she questioned, following the gaze of the clinic lady. "W-what is it?" she asked, peeking around the corner.

"Oh, my God, Secchan!?" Konoka nearly screamed, and started to run toward her friend, only to be stopped by Shizuna.

"Konoka-san, wait. You should be prepared to hear my prognosis." Shizuna said, explaining the situation that had left the half demon in her current condition, and her condition as of present. "The whole left side of her body is broken to shards, and she has major head trauma. She's really hanging onto life by a thread; there's nothing that can be done." Shizuna said, looking at the brunette with a sad expression.

Konoka's mind had been fumbling around, trying to find a way yo save her friend.

"I can heal her."

"You haven't ever been able to do that, you know you can't. It's the demon in her blood that hinders your powers." Konoka pulled away from the older woman, and walked with silent tears to Setsuna's side.

Shizuna frowned and she left the two alone, as Konoka tried--with failing results--to heal her knight.

"Secchan, I wish I could heal you, so we could go to class, and everyone could poke fun at us for being alone together all this time." She said, and laughed a shaky laugh as a sob escaped her paled lips. "You have to wake up, and be alright, Secchan… You just have to."

In class Asakura Kasumi was whispering about this, and that, which left Asuna annoyed. She clanked at the seat next to her, the to the seat two up, and a row to the right of her. Two empty spots glared, and laughed at her. She was about to excuse herself from class when Asakura's voice broke into her consciousness.

"Hey, did you notice out spotlight couple isn't here today. Maybe something finally happened between them!!" She spoke to her incorporeal friend, Aisaka Sayo.

"Maybe it's a scoop, Asakura-san!" the ghostly girl exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight.

"Oi, Asakura, don't talk about stuff you don't know." Asuna said angrily.

"You know something?" Saotome Haruna asked in worry.

"No." Asuna answered bluntly and laid her head on her desk.

"Negi-sensei, are Sakurazaki-san, and Konoka-san alright?" Ayase Yue piped up. Negi tried to put up a smile.

"I've been told that they'll be gone for a while."

"Damn! I guess I can't ask them then." Asakura muttered biting on the end of her pen like she often did when a catch got away from her.

'_You damn well better be alright for Konoka, Setsuna._' Asuna thought, as classes went on.

The next day Shizuna walked into Setsuna's room to find Konoka still setting by her side.

"Konoka-san?" Shizuna said, walking around the girl to get a better view of her; Konoka had fallen asleep setting up holding Setsuna's hand. Shizuna's countenance was one of pity for the poor young woman.

"Konoka-san," she said, lightly shaking the young woman in the chair, the brunette's eyes lazily opened, and looked up to Shizuna.

"What is it?" Konoka asked groggily.

"You can't keep this up, you'll get sick; what would Setsuna-kun have to say about it?"

Konoka shook her head, "I'm not… sleepy." Konoka said, a yawn breaking her sentence, and blowing her cover.

"You should get some air—"

"I refuse to loose any more time with Secchan."

Shizuna was taken aback by Konoka's retort.

"I see… I don't know how much longer she can hold on… You should really start to tell her you good byes" Shizuna said, standing and leaving; fed up with the stubborn attitude Konoka was presenting.

Konoka looked back at Setsuna. "Secchan." She said, lightly touching her face, and gently shaking her.

"Wake up please. You can't leave me… Not now, when I figured out that I've been in love with you for the majority of my life. I love you, so much… so…" Konoka said sobbing and closing her eyes.

A chuckle erupted under her bowed head, and a cool hand sat itself atop her head.

"I love you too, Kono-chan."

Konoka's eye's shot open as she looked up to see the beaten Setsuna looking at her with a small smile.

"Secchan!!" Konoka said, gently allowing herself to embrace her friend; her love. "Shizuna-sensei, come look!" she shouted, and the clinic lady came in to see the half demon awake.

"Setsuna-kun!" Shizuna said, as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I have to call the headmaster; I'll leave the two of you alone!" Shizuna said, scurrying off to call Konoe Konoemon. Konoka turned to her knight and smiled.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me." She said.

Setsuna's hand atop Konoka's crown slightly put pressure on Konoka, allowing Konoka to be brought closer to her face. They both closed their eyes, allowing the feeling of their loves lips against their own to burn into their consciousness. When they parted, Konoka kept her eyes locked onto Setsuna's.

"Hey, Kono-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I'm kinda thirsty. I hate to ask, but could you get me something to drink, please?" Setsuna asked suddenly; Konoka smiled brightly.

"Sure, anything! I'll be right back!" Konoka said with a wave, then turned quickly to capture a kiss from Setsuna's lips.

"Good bye." Setsuna, said with a labored sigh.

"I'll be right back!" Konoka said, running off again.

When Setsuna knew Konoka was gone she sighed again, as a wave of dizziness overtook her.

"Shizuna-san," she called. The buxom clinic nurse walked in with a curious look. "Could you get me some paper, and a pen?" Shizuna nodded, and went to fetch the requested items.

"Hmm…" Konoka hummed looking at the selections of the drinks from the vending machine in front of her. "This maybe?" she said. "… Maybe not…" she interjected. "Oh well." She finished, pushing a button, and bent to retrieve the can from the dispenser.

When she reached the clinic, Shizuna met her at the door.

"Let me take that." She said reaching for the can Konoka held. "She was tired, and went back to sleep. I'll put it in the refrigerator." She said taking it from the brunette.

"I'll go set there until she wakes back up then!" Konoka said, walking to Setsuna's room. When she got there she looked over the slumbering figure of her protector and gave her a chaste kiss.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a folded piece of paper, with a beautifully scripted '_Konoka my dearest_' on the front.

_"Setsuna never woke up again. I had dreams for many years of her coming back to save me, but now I take care of myself, and her memory that is sewn into my heart. A large burial ceremony was conducted in Kyoto, and Secchan was buried in the Konoe family cemetery._

_Everyone who joins the Shimei knows the legacy of Sakurazaki Setsuna, the angelic knight. And every child wishes to be like her. I, myself, have moved on. I married a man of whom Grandfather thought necessary. _

_We had only one child, a girl with dark raven hair. I named her Setsuna, against the "better" judgment of my husband. She now lives with me at Mahora Academy as he takes care of The Kansai Magic Association. _

_I may've moved on, but I'll never forget you, Secchan. You will always be with me, always in my heart._"

Konoka picked up the paper and opened it quickly to read the beautiful handwriting.

'_My Dearest,_

_Please forgive me… I gave you false hope, but I just wanted to see you one last time. If you're reading this… it means I'll probably never open my eyes again. I was just so tired of hanging on… I just couldn't keep my grip on the ledge of that cliff anymore, even with you trying to help me up. I'm sorry. _

_Please, don't cry too long over this, I want you to always smile. If you don't I'll know…_

_And that would make me sad, you wouldn't want that, right? May our time last longer when next we meet, my other half._

_ I love you more than you could possibly know. See you soon_

_ --Sakurazaki Setsuna_'

Konoka let a stream of tears drop down her face, then wiped them off with her arm.

"If that's what you want… I can't make you sad." She said with teary laughter, and looked up with a huge smile. "Only for you, my other half."

The End

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A/N: I hope you like it. I just want to make clear, that the classes that they're taking are college night courses, that's why their at class after twilight.

At the end some of the idea came from Yû Watase's "Absolute Boyfriend". I thought it was a good ending to a good story, and wanted to incorporate something of the like within one of my own stories. So, if the end seems familiar… it's because you've probably read something very much like it before.

R&R please! I like to know how you like my stories, how you didn't like them… and everything in between… I like constructive criticism… and flames… and rants about how bad it is… it always amuses me.

Thanks for reading!!


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